The white paper is a official Document published by a Gouvernement or a International organization in order to make official a Rapport. It has often as an aim to make proposals for a long run.

Origin of the term

The term even takes its origin in Great Britain where it applies to the governmental documents, reports/ratios, statements of policies of which the thickness is insufficient to usually justify the strong blue binding of use. It is in 1939 that the " term; deliver blanc" is applied for the first time to a governmental document to the Canada. Three white papers were published during the British mandate in Palestine.

In the European Union

See also: White papers of the European commission

White papers contain a whole argued of proposals for a Community action in a specific field. One also finds White paper on defense, published in 1994 by the French government. That Ci milked of the autonomous strategy of defense of the country. It takes into account the step of European construction. They are establish by the European commission, within the framework of advisory committees including/understanding the Members of the Commission, of the representatives of the Lobbys, and of the national administrations.

They aim at giving rise to Décision S policies and a concerted policy. These books make often, but not necessarily, following a green book on the same topic. That was the case, for example, of the white paper adopted the May 12th 2004, on “the services of General interest”, which resulted from the public discussion initiated by the green book of the May 21st 2003.

See: White paper on the services of general interest

The concept of white paper also exists in Informatique.

Examples of white papers: “Strategy for the policy in the field of chemical substances” (February 2001), “the environmental responsibility” (February 2000)

See too